Advanced Microgrid Solutions (AMS) announced June 28 that it has been selected to transform San Francisco’s distinguished skyscraper, One Maritime Plaza, into the city’s first Hybrid Electric Building® using Tesla Powerpack batteries. The groundbreaking technology upgrade will lower costs, increase grid and building resiliency, and reduce the building’s demand for electricity from the sources that most negatively impact the environment.

Building owner Morgan Stanley Real Estate Investing hired SF-based Advanced Microgrid Solutions, to design, build and operate the project. Through its partnership with AMS, Morgan Stanley will convert an idle, ground floor loading dock at One Maritime into a revenue-generating host site for a state-of-the art Tesla energy storage system.

Credit: Advanced Microgrid Solutions

Under the terms of the agreement, AMS will install a 500 kilowatt/1,000 kilowatt-hour Tesla Powerpack that will lower the 534,000 square foot building’s energy demand and provide resilience to the electric grid by providing One Maritime Plaza with the ability to store clean energy and control demand from the electric grid. The technology enables the building to shift from grid to battery power to conserve electricity in the same way a hybrid-electric car conserves gasoline.

Credit: Morgan Stanley Real Estate Investing

The energy storage system at One Maritime Plaza will provide essential grid support by reducing the building’s peak energy demand by as much as twenty percent, curbing unpredictable spikes in energy usage that can lead to costly utility bills. The battery project will also integrate seamlessly into One Maritime’s existing building management system. It will operate autonomously and will not require upkeep from property or facilities managers. Moving forward, the system the will enhance the building’s participation in utility demand response programs by combing the load drop of the battery with other end use equipment.

The battery installation also adds a new dimension to the building’s history of sustainability. One Maritime became LEED Certified in 2011 and has been ENERGY STAR rated for six consecutive years.

In addition to the building benefits, the project contributes to Morgan Stanley’s goal of integrating sustainability into its investment portfolios. A new report, released by Morgan Stanley’s Institute for Sustainable Investing, argues that sustainable technology can cut a typical office building’s annual expenses by 3% to 30%, improve occupancy rates, and increase net operating income per square foot.

“As a San Francisco-based company, we are thrilled to partner with Morgan Stanley to bring best-in-class storage and software technology to the City,” said Susan Kennedy, chief executive officer of AMS. “Hybrid Electric Buildings® allow forward-looking companies like Morgan Stanley to help build tomorrow’s energy grid.”

AMS and the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) are in discussions to apply battery-enabled bill savings from the first year of operation of the One Maritime Plaza installation toward other potential storage projects contemplated by the agency.

“For a 100% greenhouse gas-free electric utility like the SFPUC, battery storage offers an unparalleled way to bolster the electricity resilience of critical facilities around the City,” said Barbara Hale, Assistant General Manager for Power at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. “We look forward to collaborating with One Maritime Plaza and Advanced Microgrid Solutions so we can begin to pilot battery storage solutions with key SFPUC customers.”

The project is expected to be completed by January 1, 2018.

About Advanced Microgrid SolutionsAdvanced Microgrid Solutions is pioneering the use of energy storage systems for electric utility grid support. Using a technology-agnostic approach, the company designs, finances, installs and manages advanced energy storage solutions for commercial, industrial and government building owners. AMS is developing the world’s first fleet of Hybrid Electric Buildings® as part of a groundbreaking grid modernization effort for Southern California Edison. To learn more, visit www.advmicrogrid.com.

About San Francisco Public Utilities CommissionThe San Francisco Public Utilities Commission provides retail drinking water and wastewater services to San Francisco, wholesale water to three Bay Area counties, and green hydroelectric and solar power to a portion of San Francisco’s retail customers.